Kingdom Hearts: ReWritten
by JerisEnigma
Summary: A merge and rewrite of KH 1 and 2. Many details are left the same, but there are two major changes: Instead of Disney movies, the worlds are videogames, and instead annoying Disney side kicks, the heroes get my cousin, my bro and myself!
1. Chapter 1

~*Kingdom Hearts: ReWritten *~

A new spin on Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2

Somewhere in the American Southwest, three children have finally gone to bed... [Great intro, huh?]

Sara is humming softly to herself as she works on her fan fictions. Joshua is playing his Nintendo DS while listening to his cd player. Jacquelyn has pushed her cd player to the floor and is already mostly asleep. None of them notice as the spaces beneath them darken and begin to pull downward...

Sara notices a shadow from the corner of her eye and glances over expecting to see one of her cats. Instead, black tendrils are swirling around her, already engulfing her legs. Nervously she clutches her notebook to her chest and curls up as the darkness surrounds her. Joshua doesn't react until he goes to skip songs and cannot lift his cd player. When he realizes he's being absorbed he panics and tries to climb out, attempting to go for his dagger. Jacquelyn turns over onto her stomach with a contented smile and cuddles up tightly, not noticing a thing. In seconds the three are fully absorbed and they disappear.

* * *

After a short drop, Jacquelyn and Joshua land on some sand several feet from each other. Joshua immediately scrambles to his feet and glances about frantically. Jacquelyn's face scrunches in irritation from the drop and scratchy sand against her cheek, but only sits up to find out why it's suddenly gotten so cold.

"What the _hell_?" Jacquelyn spouts groggily. Joshua just keeps looking around unnerved. "How'd I get to the beach?" "Where are we? What happened?" "Duuude..." Jacquelyn answers, rising and dusting herself off, "I don't know, but I was sleeping great until just now. Come on... wow, that's some storm." They see a small shack across the beach and head towards it.

* * *

Opening her eyes, Sara finds herself in an alley-like hallway. Shivering a bit, she rises to her feet and takes in her surroundings. Picking a direction, she starts walking, only to jump suddenly as a figure crossed the adjacent corridor and turned towards her. She just stopped and stared, ready to flee the other way if necessary. As the figure approached, it took notice of her and jumped as well, raising its short bat to protect itself. "O-Olette? Is that you?" it asked in a young boy's voice, obviously nervous. "Nooo, I'm Sara. Who're you?" "I'm Vivi... Um, I'm going to go, I don't like to practice around other people..." Not sure where she was or how she'd gotten there, Sara's fears receded a bit as her face began to light up ecstatically. "_Wait_! I know you...sort of... Can you tell me where I am?"

* * *

As the two neared the shack, a brown haired boy rushed past them. "Hey-... Fine then." Jacquelyn started to no avail, then turned back towards the tiny structure. "We can at least get outta the wind in there. ...Hmm, does this place... feel kinda familiar somehow?" Joshua just shrugged and opened the door, holding it open for his sister. Inside wasn't much warmer than out on the beach and the roof was leaking. Disgusted, bored and cold, Jacquelyn scrutinized the shack's interior then opened another door across from the first. It opened up to a path that went further up the beach and past a bridge. Another doorway was set into the side of some rocks off to the left from the bridge, possibly leading to a more solid building or a way off the beach.

"Come on, this place sucks anyway. I'm gonna go check that out." As they made their way farther up the coastline they could see a city on another island a mile or so out to sea. It was just a bit too far to swim, especially in this weather, but a small boat could probably make it. There was a pier on the other side of the bridge, but the only craft they could see was drifting away leaving only a crudely made raft that looked as though it'd come apart if you even stepped on it. Yeah right, thought Jacquelyn, but something about it was tugging at her mind, practically screaming to be remembered. It was like... she'd seen this place on tv or something though not actually been here in person.

The storm was really raging, the moon leaving dark shadows dancing on the sand from bits of clouds battered by the harsh wind. As they walked up the beach, the same guy from before ran past them again, this time swinging something apparently at the shadows as he dodged around them.

* * *

"Well... this is Twilight Town. I practice for Struggle matches in the abandoned railways because its quiet and no one really comes down here." "Okaay. So am I like in Kingdom Hearts or something? Because I never played that game, but I'm still a fan of yours! Can I see some black magic? _Please_?" "Um... well I'm not very good, but I'll try." The boy stopped walking and closed his eyes tightly, whispering to himself almost too low for her to hear. After a moment he opened his eyes and shot his free hand forward. A ball of flame the size of a head formed in his palm then burst forward, slamming into and scorching the far wall ahead of them.

"WOW! That was amazing! Can you teach me how to do that?" Sara shouted and grinned hugely. Vivi giggled in pride and replied, "Well, I don't think I'd be the bestest teacher, but I could try... Come on, it's getting late. You can spend the night with me and Rai, I'm sure he won't mind!" The two walked out of the tunnel, chatting happily, neither afraid of the dark hallways any longer.

* * *

"WTH is that kid's problem?! What a _spazz_." Jacquelyn grumped as they stared at his antics. "Look! The shadows are moving!" "Duh, there's a monster storm going on..." "No, I mean really moving! OMG they're heartless!" "What?" A stupid blank look took over Jacquelyn's face as spastic happiness spread over Joshua's. "Like..." "Kingdom Hearts! That's Sora and he's fighting heartless! That means we're in Destiny Islands! OMG let's follow him!" "What???" This was too much to absorb and Jacquelyn's blank look remained as she followed her already running brother. "Wait, so, seriously? I mean, seriously? Like... for real? No way." Joshua laughed and kept running as they followed the brown haired boy up the beach. Snatching up a small shadow without stopping, Jacquelyn held the thing up in front of her.

"Seriously??? No waaay." she continued still in disbelief. The little heartless struggled as she held it by the arms like a doll. "This. Can't. Be. Real." she mumbled as she tugged on and examined it. It squirmed and squeaked as she poked its belly, igniting a spark of girliness in her eyes. A small smile spread across her face. "But it's so CUTE! Whatever it is!" She squealed with glee and hugged it to her chest, its small arms flailing. "Rii-kuu!" Sora shouted as he ran towards an evil looking swirling mass on the connected island. "Hm?" Jacquelyn looked up sharply, flinging the hapless Shadow over her shoulder and catching up with her sibling. Josh laughed again and hurried on, already halfway across the bridge. "It's _Sora_ and _Riku_! Hurry up!" As she neared the other island she eyed the writhing mass nervously. "Oh jeez, that does _not_ look good... cool mayb- wait, Riku?!"

The situation suddenly melted through entirely to her brain and fangirly adrenaline shot through her like lightning. "_Riikuuu_!" she exclaimed as they reached the two guys entangled in the darkness. Josh made it to them first, but was roughly knocked aside as Jacquelyn tackled the white haired boy. Joshua fell backwards, taking the brown haired boy down with him. Seconds before they hit the ground, the four were completely absorbed.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

"You can't just be inviting the entire town here, _y'know_?" "I know, Rai, but she doesn't have anywhere else to stay!" "Okay, but only for the night, y'know." "Thank you Mr. Rai. I promise I won't be any trouble." "Alright, you're with Vivi so I guess I'll trust you. Good night, y'know." "Urgh... right. 'Night."

* * *

The first pair landed roughly on the ground, Jacquelyn sprawled atop Riku. She grinned sheepishly, then quickly picked herself up, fangirliness abated. "Heheh, sorry..." she said as she offered him a hand then lifted him to his feet. "Ahh! Uh, thanks... I'm Riku." "I-I'm, uh, _Jeris_." "Hm. Where _are_ we?" The two dusted themselves off as they looked around for clues. They were in forest, on an obviously well used path. The sounds of people could be heard coming from one direction, so after a glance and shrug, they headed that way.

* * *

"Whoa-aaah! OOF!" Joshua and Sora were dropped ungracefully, on their rear and face respectively, onto some concrete. "_Ouch_... Where am I? And who're you?" Sora inquired as he picked himself up off his face. Joshua rubbed his sore bottom as he replied. "My name's Joshua. It looks like we were teleported into a city... It's gotta be Traverse Town!" "Ugh... _where_?" "You don't know? Oh right, we just left Destiny Islands, so you haven't been here yet. Let's go check it out!" "Uuuh... okay." Shaking off his blank confused stare, Sora followed Josh out from behind the dumpsters and out of the alley. "This... doesn't really look like Traverse Town..."

* * *

Sara stretched as she was woken by the sunlight leaking in the window. Yawning but well rested, she glanced around her, realizing that she wasn't at home. This freaked her out at first, but as the previous night's events came back to her she relaxed. Well, mostly. She still wasn't sure where she was or how she'd gotten there... Oh well, she thought, nothing else to do but go downstairs and figure it out I guess.

As she made her way to the bottom, she could see Rai in the kitchen making pancakes. Vivi was sitting at the table fidgeting in anticipation of the meal. "Morning!" he greeted her happily, waving a fork in the air delightedly. "Yeah, good morning, y'know." "Hmm... morning guys. Tell me again where I am?" she replied as she poured some orange juice in a glass. "We're in Traverse Town! We spent the night at Rai's house 'cuz he's letting me stay here! Today I'll show you around and introduce you to my friends!" "But first, breakfast, y'know?" They sat down and munched silently on the slightly charred pancakes, enjoying them none the less. They'd barely started when suddenly the door was thrown wide open, slamming loudly into the wall. The trio jumped as Seifer barged in unannounced. "What's the hold up _boys_? You were supposed to meet me for practice an _hour_ ago." "Sorry, we kinda got off to a slow start, y'know?" "Hmph. I can see that. Who's your female friend? Nice PJs by the way, _girlie_." "Humph! Name's Sara. Who wants to know?" she answered with a glare. "Wow, cheeky aren't we? Not that I care, I only came for these two. Vivi can take you clothes shopping _after_ practice. You guys hurry it up!" Rai and Vivi shoveled faster, finishing in seconds and grabbing their things. They were nearly out the door when they remembered the girl still eating at their table. "If it's alright with you, Rai, I'll just stay here until you're back. I don't want to be running around in my pajamas all over town. If I get bored I'll even do the dishes for you." With a nod from Rai, the guys were out the door in a flash and Sara went back to eating... at a more human pace.

* * *

The two older teens strolled down the dirt path and into the town. No one did more than glance at them and give them a wide berth as they went on their ways. A quick "Welcome to Oakvale, obey the law" was all they got out of the guards so at Jeris' insistence they headed for the tavern. "Oakvale... Now where do I know that from? Oakva- _Oakvale_! This is Fable, we're in Albion!" "So you know this place then?" "Mm, mhmm. You could say I spent a lot of time here... I know this, uh country, pretty intimately." Riku looked a little unsure about that statement, but didn't comment. "We can hang out and plan our next move in the tavern. Besides, I'm thirsty!"

* * *

Sora and Josh stepped out into the city and looked around. Picking a random direction, they started off down the street, observing people and buildings for possible clues as to where they were. The city's buildings were huge and people crowded the streets going about their apparently busy schedules. "Wow... I wish I had a mini map..." "A what?" "Never mind, let's just keep looking around. Something about the city's layout was very familiar to Josh and his eyes scrutinized everything in an attempt to recognize _something_. Within the space of a heartbeat he was rewarded. A patrolling female police officer with glaringly un-uniform hair told him exactly what world he was in and a quick sprint around a corner told him what city he'd landed in. A sign labeling the building he'd stopped at read "Pokémon Center" and across from it was another proclaiming "Welcome to flower filled Goldenrod City!". He was in Johto!

* * *

Her breakfast finished and the dishes done, Sara was upstairs washing her face. Luckily her hair hadn't gotten tangled during the night because she didn't have her own brush. Actually, she thought as she stared into the mirror above the sink, it was still nice and... styled. Everything was pretty clean, even her PJs weren't wrinkled more than was fashionable. Duh, game world! This world isn't so bad, she thought with a smile. As she dried her hands, the front door opened downstairs and she could hear someone coming up. Well, that wasn't a long practice... She left the bathroom and was met at the top of the stairs by a slightly older girl with short white hair.

"Hm?" "Um, hi... Rai is letting me stay here..." "Sara?" "Yeah, that's me!" "Oh." The white haired girl started looking around and went to check another room. "Did they forget something?" "Bat." "Oh, like Vivi's! I'll help you look." They checked up and down the hallway until Sara finally found it kicked halfway under a chair. "Here it is, found it!" "Thanks." She took the bat and started to leave without another word. "Wait, you didn't even tell me your name!" "Fuu." "Oh. Okay then. See you later I guess." "Bye."

* * *

"There you are then, miss. 450 gold for your trouble. Drinks are on the house today for all that hard work!" The barman paid her and set two full tankards on the bar. Jeris thanked him and carried them over to the table where a very exhausted looking Riku was sitting. Her face was slightly red and her hair just a bit out of place, but her breathing was even as she grinned smugly and sipped her beverage. "I don't know why you're so tired. You used to race Sora _all over_ that island back home." "Once. Or twice and not while carrying cargo. What is that anyway?" "I think its mead... or some kinda rum. It's not all that disgusting and besides, I had him water it down with the kid's mead so it's not even strong." "I don't drink." "'Neither do I'. That's why I gave it away and got the kids' mead instead. I think it's actually root beer." She smiled and pushed him his mug. He sighed and took a gulp. "Yeah, I think you're right. It's a little flat though." They relaxed and she tried to tie the sack of money to her pant loop. Predictably, it did not work well. "Hmm... I'll be right back, don't wander too far." "Don't worry, I'm not moving anytime soon." She smiled smugly again at him and trotted out of the tavern. He took another swig then collapsed back onto the table.

* * *

Sora just stood and watched as Josh sped from one hapless trainer to another, a waist high pink lizard-rabbit thing beside him. Each time he approached one they'd pose in some kind of lame battle stance and toss a ball to the ground. Another monster would appear and the two would fight until one was left unconscious. Then the losing trainer would hand over their money and recall their comatose beastie. After an hour of this, Joshua ran back to his side panting and zapped the pink thing back into the red and white ball he carried. "Ha-haa! _Now_ we've got plenty of money! Let's go shopping!"

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

After watching Fuu disappear through the ever popular kitchen door, Sara had noticed a purple, leather bound book lying on the counter. It hadn't been there when she was eating breakfast and it most certainly wasn't there when she'd done the dishes. Curious, she'd sat down and flipped through it, the light browsing quickly becoming a completely absorbing reading.

Several hours had slipped by before she'd looked up suddenly, as if the lost time had finally caught up with her. It was already the afternoon and the boys weren't back yet. Practice must just be running a bit long. This bothered her slightly but she glanced back at the book before her. Its pages were set up like those in a cook book, lists of things at the top with what must be instructions or notes below that. Maybe it was a spell book? She couldn't read any of it but somehow it was still drawing her attention back to its pages.

Before she could be glued to the endless chapters again the kitchen door's latch snapped her attention away. "Vivi? How was practice?" she said with a smile as she spun around to meet the boy. She was just in time to see the door click shut and hear footsteps on the stairs behind her. There's _no __way_ she was that slow! "Vivi?!" Bugged, she stood up and took a step towards the stairs, only to see the kid blur past and to the door again. She snapped around and grabbed the already shutting kitchen exit and slung it open. Vivi was tearing across the street to a tunnel without looking at anyone along the way. "Viviii!! Hmph. Wait up!!"

She followed the impossibly fast child all through town, not even thinking about being out in her pajamas. She was nearly out of breath when he finally stopped for a heartbeat outside a hole in a secluded wall. He'd already darted in by the time she'd reached it so she had no choice but to dive in herself. Inside was far from what she'd expected. A dark, empty forest spread out in front of her, Vivi nowhere in sight. She crept in, ready for something to spring out at her, but was completely alone as she wound her way through the trees. In the distance some light was breaking through the dense growth and she broke into a hard run towards it. Again, she was surprised by what she'd stumbled onto. At the edge of the trees, no forest continued at all. An immense mansion/castle stood in a totally treeless field. A fluttering of curtains in the second floor snagged her attention. No way! Holding her side, Sara trotted inside and up the stairs in the foyer.

The mansion was deserted and trashed. Tiles were thrown askew and ripped papers littered the dusty floor. It felt weird, but not in a threatening way. Actually it was kinda pretty, she thought. The stairs split half way up so she stopped to catch her breath while she looked for a clue as to which way to go. The cramp in her side was letting her know it did not want to have to turn around and try the other direction. A dull sound in the left wing soon led the way. The door at the end was partially open so she walked slowly towards that.

"Anyone here? ...Vivi?" The source of the sound was nowhere to be seen. "Okaay..." Now she was totally creeped out, from the emptiness if nothing else. She explored the room but found nothing but a long table and more papers, so made her way back to the door irritated. As she took one last look around, she reached her hand out to the door. It landed softer than before and... _warm_? Her eyes widened in horror and she snatched her hand back as a black gloved hand did the same and pulled out.

"U-uh... do... do you know, um, Vivi?" Sara stuttered, trying to be brave though her voice cracked a teensy bit. She stuck her head out to see who it was and yet again she was alone. The hair on the back of her neck stuck up and she knew from enough suspense movies that the person or thing _had to be _behind her, so she spun around and jumped a step out into the hall. "Not quite..." a hooded figure said matter of factly in an emotionally devoid voice. With a gasp, Sara turned and ran straight into a swirling black mass and was engulfed before she could think 'oh great'.

* * *

"What I don't get", Jacquelyn a.k.a. Jeris continued, "Is what we're doing here. This place has its own sort of hero to deal with the run-of-the-mill monsters." Riku fidgeted with his mug, still bugged by their new clothes. "I'm still not sure about this giant key nonsense, but it does sound exciting anyway." Jeris grinned knowingly and swirled the last bit of her drink around. She hadn't played 'Kingdom Hearts' 1 or 2 all the way through like her brother, but she knew every facet of the storyline and mythology from reading the Wikipedia and forum pages in their entirety... And sadly, she knew of Albion too. It wasn't that she hated it here, it happened to be the setting of one of her all time faves, it was just... Keyblade or no, she did _**not**_ want to fight a balvarine! E-ver. Those things were horrifying enough on a computer screen until she got good enough to slaughter them, but in person... she doubted she'd stand a chance. The smile faded.

Her face became grim as she fiddled with her corset to distract herself. Them, and everything around them, looked like they belonged in a renaissance faire. In the corner, a tabletop bar game was in progress and an obnoxious bard was begging for coins. Barmaids served endless mugs to grimy patrons and low renowned heroes showed off their gory trophies. It _was_ all wonderfully familiar. But she'd already made herself restless... It must have really shown because now Riku looked troubled. Well, more than usual anyway. "Let's go for a walk..." she suggested to his dismay."I need to practice my aim."

* * *

It was getting dark as the first day away from home drew to a close. Joshua and Sora were training their monsters in the park just north of Goldenrod. Josh was having his freshly caught Scyther practice its moves against his Nidorino, while Sora opted to spar with his Pinsir himself. He'd concluded that it would be the best way to train the beastie and himself at the same time. A passing Noctowl hoo'd softly as it soared over the park grounds, before being shot down by a Pin Missile attack. "Hm..." Josh looked around as if just realizing that he'd been running around all day. "Hey Sora! Let's go back to Goldenrod! We can stay the night at the PokéCenter." "Sounds good to me..." the exhausted Sora said."So how do I do this again?" he said while staring at his own dual colored orb. "Like this! Just press the button and say 'Return- whoever!'" a proud Joshua demonstrated with an enthusiastic pose. "Uh... return, Pinsir! H-hey wait for me!"

Back to the part of town where they'd entered, Josh finally stopped running and walked at a quick pace to let Sora catch up. "Hold on, first we should get some drinks upstairs in the department store." He disappeared around the corner in an instant and a totally burnt out yet equally enthused Sora hopped through the door Josh was holding patiently. Minutes later they exited the tall building, cans in hand and pockets bulging with 'stocked' items. They chucked their empty drinks in the trash bin outside the Center and Joshua sped up to open the door politely. And was unable to do so. Thud thud. Locked out!

He peeked in through the glass doors and saw that the lights were all off and no one was in sight to let them in. "Maybe we could find that security guard... er, policewoman?" Josh shook his head and thought quickly. He knew from the games that PokéCops tended to be a bit crazy at night but... knew from the _shows_ that PokéCenters often had conveniently unlocked back doors! Thanks, Team Rocket! Heheh... "Let's go! I know another way in." Sora looked unconvinced but followed obediently.

As they snuck in ever so dramatically quiet, tippy toeing and all, they searched around blindly for the sleeping areas. Small safety lights here and there kept them from tripping, but weren't enough to show them the right direction. A long shadow erupted from a hallway onto the wall in front of them and they immediately dove around an edge and flattened themselves theatrically against it. The shadow disappeared down the opposite end and they continued their search.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

"Nuh-! Oooh?" Sara finally halted her momentum and looked about for a moment. She jumped and checked behind her, but the shadows had already dissipated and the figure was nowhere to be found. "S-sara?" a nervous little voice piped up from somewhere in the room. Glancing around what appeared to be a changing room, she spotted Vivi cowering behind an overflowing clothes rack. "Vivi! I _finally_ found you! Where _were_ you going, _anyway_? And- where _are_ we?" The tiny mage stepped out of his sanctuary and scampered over to her in relief. "It was _horrible_! So weiird! I was at practice when suddenly Seifer and everyone just froze... Then this hooded person showed up and he wasn't frozen and this swirly thing opened up! I tried to run but he caught me and threw me in it... I, I've been hiding here ever since. _How'd you_ get here?" "I followed you! You came back from practice then left suddenly and I chased you all over town! Then I met a hooded guy, too... Well anyway, let's find out where we are."

The more she looked at it, the more familiar the place felt. Ugh! She hated that feeling! It's so annoying, like it's on the tip of your tongue but it's no use... "These costumes are neat!" Vivi said cheerfully, his distress forgotten, "We should try them on!" "Uh, I don't know, Vivi. What if someone comes in?" "Its okay, this's got to be a changing room! They'd knock or something before coming in. I'll go change over there!" He scampered back behind the rack and Sara just sighed. She felt like she had to be responsible around him since he was a kid, but in reality she wanted to have fun too. That dress is just _gorgeous_, too! Oh what the heck, she was gonna put it on.

Aaannd, it fit! Oooh, sooo pretty! She posed and examined herself in front of a tall mirror. "Hey Vivi, look, I'm a mage now too!" He peeked out shyly then joined her again, dressed in a moogle sized warrior's outfit. "So sparkly! And it matches that book you brought! How lucky!" Huh? She didn't remember carrying that book around with her back in the castle... She couldn't have been running all over town with that big thing under her arm could she? Yet here it was... Hm. "Maybe we should change ba-" Sara was interrupted midsentence by a loud intercom. "ATTENTION DUEL- UH, PLAYERS!"

* * *

"EE-HeeHEhehee!!" "Dmnable pixies!! Stay still! ...THERE!" Ssnick! Thunk. "He-he-heee...huh." "Nice shot. But let's get moving, those hobbes are getting closer, Jeris." Dusting herself off, Jeris looked up alertly. "Are they. There aren't that many, let's move to that hill there." Riku sheathed his katana and lead the way. A generic mercenary was waiting for them at the top. "Fancy a good sword arm for 10 gold an hour?" he offered. "Gladly." Jeris accepted and tossed him a coin. Riku watched silently, as Jeris was far too routine about this. "You see that couple of hobbes down there? I want you to sneak up on them while I cover you with my magick from here. Got it?" "Yes, milady! TO ARMS!!" "Idiot. I said sneak... Oh well, 10 gold." she said with a shrug. "Just stand there in case he leads them back up the path." "Got it." Riku agreed and stood at ready.

They waited and watched as the mercenary crept up behind the smallest and nearest of the two and slashed its head off in an expert slice. The second turned surprised and angry and charged. The man blocked its attack and slashed at its belly. It fell forward in pain and he finished it off. He turned and looked up at them, raising his arms in triumph. "He knows there's more down there, right?" "Look. They've spotted him."

The first few pudgy monsters snuck up on the man and hit him with small cudgels. He recovered and parried them, but then six more ran in and overtook him. Jeris fired off several spells in quick succession, taking out 3 of them and weakening another. The mercenary was able to fell the weak one before being slaughtered. With a burst of crude war cries the group charged up the hill. Another spell took out another fat baddie before they were close enough to attack. Jeris drew her own katana and rushed forward to kill one Riku had already weakened and parried the one behind him. "There! The short one with the staff! That's the mage; kill it while I cover you!" Riku dodged under and around the last two melee fighters and leapt into the air for a falling stab. The ugly creature shrieked in terror but was too slow and was skewered. As it fell, the final two were blasted past it by an expertly timed charged spell. One of them survived and struggled to get to its feet before an arrow shot through its skull. "I love these woods." "Look, that guy dropped 20 gold." Satisfied with the day's training, they headed back to the inn for some rest and refreshment spoils in hand.

* * *

You could practically hear the espionage music playing in the background as the duo had way too much fun breaking and entering a free lodging. Duhn duhn duh duuuh duhn duhn da da dananaaa...! Stop! Shadow- hide! Duhn duhn duh duh daaa... "Hey, here they are. Now let's get some sleep!" As they slunk into the mostly empty sleeping quarters, they failed to notice the black blob that'd been tailing them from the start. It crept under Josh's bed and slid up a spring. Then it found a pokéball.

Early that morning, the lights came on to subtly signal it was time to get up. A sharp, female yawn awoke Sora first so he stretched and sat up. "G'morning!" He greeted the red haired girl with a cheerful smile. Her scream woke Joshua next. Everyone else as well. "GET OUT OF THE GIRLS' DORMATORY!!!" a chorus of shrieks demanded.

Josh and Sora fled at top speed and straight past the front counter. A groggy Nurse Joy was just stumbling out and rubbing her eyes when they rushed by. "Wait, don't you want to heal your Pokémon?" "No, we're good! Thanks anyway!!" they echoed as they crashed through the front doors and towards the gym.

* * *

"Wait, _what_?" Sara was totally confused now. "Now we're in a videogame in a videogame?" "What's a videogame?" Vivi asked, also confused now. The man on the intercom had welcomed them to KaibaCorps' new MMO and challenged them to run the gauntlet. As they left the changing room, which was actually how you chose your class in game, they found a weapons rack on the other side of the door. Since she was apparently a sorceress now, Sara just kept her book, while Vivi chose a short sword and a small mace for his belt. Then they entered the tunnel at the end of the hallway.

As they walked, the scenery felt not-quite-2D... It was like playing the original versions of Quake or Doom, or like watching that maze screensaver. The walls appeared solid, but were almost too much so. The corners and doorways were way too sharply angled and it was oddly quiet apart from the techno-esque background music. The rooms they tried were always either empty or held a single item, like a med-pack or ammunition, neither of which they needed.

Suddenly a Curse of Dragon fell from the ceiling before them and lunged at Sara. "Eep! _Fireball_!" She dodged out of the way and incinerated the creature. Its singed form broke down into pixels and disappeared revealing a shaking Vivi on the other side, scorch marks on the wall around him in a dragon shaped silhouette. "Oh no, Vivi! I'm sorry... You're ok, right?" "Y-yes. Its okay, it was my fault. I hid behind it when I heard you yell." A look of disbelief filled her face. "Oh, uh ok. Let's just keep going."

* * *

"So then why are we up here if it's obviously so dangerous?" Riku huffed as they trudged up a poorly lit path in the decaying forest. "W-well, there's this... [jump-flinch] _This tattooist _up in Knothole Glade, and since they [shifty look around] ...they wouldn't let us into Snowspire, I need to come up _here_. AH! _Oh_..." Riku watched her jump at every flutter of a leaf and snap of a twig, even the ones she'd just snapped, with disdain. At first it had put him on edge, but they hadn't seen or heard anyone or any_thing_ so he'd just put it off to paranoia. Maybe she just had some stupid phobia like a fear of spiders or something and there wasn't even a chance they'd run across these... _balvarines_... despite how numerous she'd said they were.

Actually, the lack there of was calming her nerves because if they hadn't run into at least one by now then perhaps some up-and-coming hero had cleared the place out hunting for renown and experience. The distinct lack of traders wasn't helping though. Either they'd been picked off by creatures, or this hero-in-the-making was on the darker side and killed off anything that'd drop an exp orb. NOT a pleasant thought.

A faint grunting in the next area put them both on the alert. Jeris glowed like a blue firefly with charged spells and Riku stood in a crouched position, ready to strike. Together they inched towards the sounds, Jeris shaking visibly, looking as though she'd explode if he touched her shoulder. Peering through the brush they focused on whatever beasts they might find. It was a small group of hobbes, grunting contentedly as they kicked around the bandits they'd apparently overtaken. The girl melted with visible relief.

"Oh, thank _gawd_ it's only more hobbes..." she whispered, "I seriously hate those guys, but they're great for experience if you can take them out quickly." Riku however, remained stiff. He motioned for her to be quiet and pointed to the far edge of the clearing. As she looked, her skin began to crawl and she started her glow-shake combo again, this time topping it off with a low whine. "No no no nooo no no..." she whispered hoarsely, backing away. Riku glanced back and forth, keeping an eye on both her and the nearby enemies. There weren't many, but they'd be a slight problem if he had to take them all on alone, not to mention the large furry gorilla thing at the other end.

* * *

"Stupid Clefairy!!" Nidorino held its ground, sides quivering as its HP became even lower. The similarly pink but more marshmallowy monster sang its hypnotic song again and Nidorino fell to the ground asleep. Then, waggling its index fingers to an unheard rhythm, it did a little dance on its side of the field. In a sumo like move, it stopped frolicking and slammed its foot down hard. The ground shook and a deep Fissure split the gym's floor, barreling towards the rabbit like pocket monster. Nidorino just snored on despite Josh and Sora's loud urgings to get up. Concentrated power smashed into Nidorino and sent it flying out of the ring. It didn't get up, its eyes swirling.

"Return, Nidorino! Ergh! Your turn, Scyther! Get out there!" Josh switched pokéballs and stuck one forward expectantly. Nothing happened. "Scyther, GO!" He held it out again. "What's wrong Joshua?" "Urrrgh... I don't know! Scyther, come on out!" The female gym leader giggled sweetly. "What's the matter? My little fairy too much for you?" "Shut up! Scyther... What the heck?!" The referee came over and checked the situation. "I'm sorry, but if you have no more Pokémon to use, then the fight is over. Whitney wins by default!"

Joshua and Sora left in disappointment. "What the heck? This doesn't happen in the game. It isn't fair!" Josh complained. "Oh well. Come on, let's go check out that underground tunnel! We didn't make it down there yesterday." Josh nodded and they took off to down the nearest entrance. The usuals were there, venders and trainers, some nerds here and there whining about getting caught rigging the slot machines upstairs, etc. They avoided battles since Josh's monsters were weak and well... unresponsive, and eventually wandered down the hallway leading off to the right. The door, as usual, was locked.

"Hmmm, hey Sora? Trryyy... using your Keyblade. Unlock the door! It can work any lock after all." Sora brought it out with a blank look and pointed it at the door. "Just point it at the lock, it doesn't need to fit." He adjusted his aim and a beam of light appeared at the end. There was an echoing click of a lock and the door popped open. "Alright!" "What's _that_?"

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Several brief battles later and fully stocked with healing items, Mystic Sara and Vivi the Barbarian were nearing the center of the dungeon. They'd done enough to unlock a mini map that floated oddly in the corner of their eyes. They'd leveled up enough times that by now they could time it and were both chiming "Ding!" the same time the sound effect played.

"This place is _easy_! We must be set to a low difficulty." "Look, there's some more dots on the map!" Some white circles like the ones representing them were coming from the opposite end of the map heading towards the center as well. "Come on! We should try and beat them there, it's probably just more players. Even if we have to fight them I know we can take 'em!" Sara laughed and started sprinting, Vivi a few steps behind. She was definitely having fun now!

* * *

"Nonononono!" Jeris chanted in pure unadulterated horror. "Jeris... Jeris! Stop it! _Baka_..." Riku kept glancing back and forth, knowing the situation was not going to go smooth in a moment. "No no no nooo no-" Jeris continued before backing into a tree. "Nuh-OOOOO!!" she burst out with all her breath, suddenly letting lose all that pent up energy she'd been charging. Riku ducked immediately and Dodge Rolled to the right, out of harms way just as the trees and brush before her were blown apart. The hobbes were decimated, absolutely destroyed. Green experience orbs littered the scene like Christmas lights and Jeris absentmindedly drew them towards her, panting heavily. The magick onslaught unfortunately only reached far enough to singe the balvarine's thigh though. It swung its head to face them with a toothy glare.

"Oh shi-" Riku started as it turned and charged. He took a defensive pose but was knocked over unexpectedly. "NO! Get up the tree! A tree! Or behind me! Anywhere, just go, don't take the thing head on!! It's basically a werewolf, you'll be infected, stupid!" Taking deathly careful aim with her bow, Jeris focused hard, trying to stop her hands from shaking. The longer she held that pose though, the harder it became. She loosed an arrow aimed for its face. And missed, firing a good inch to its left. The beast never lost a beat. "Noo..." she whispered again, her voice filled with intense despair."Hrrgh!" Riku regained his stance and held tight to his sword, ready but not really, for the gruesome boss fight that was to come.

* * *

The doorway opened up to a swirling darkness. Yellow eyes peeped out and claws began grasping the edges of the doorframe. "Ughh..." Sora stared dumbfounded. "Not good! Shut the door! Lock it back, lock it back!" Sora kicked the door shut and Josh held it in place while the Keyblade wielder resealed the threshold to darkness. "Whoah." "Yeah. Um, I think we just sealed this world. Sweet. Soo, do we go to the next place now? We don't exactly have a Gummy Ship." "What about the train?" Josh thought about that for a moment. It didn't seem like a likely solution, but it was something to do at least. Besides, he didn't have any ideas otherwise.

"I guess we'll be leaving then. I'll ditch this stupid useless Scyther. Let's stop by that computer on our way out." After a few clicks, the bug type was released. He decided to keep the Nidorino with him though. It had proved to be strong and loyal so it would make a good 'summon' in other worlds. After logging off, they headed for the train station.

"2500poke?! Well, I guess we won't need this world's money anymore anyway." They paid for their tickets and boarded the famous bullet train. A few other passengers were spread out here and there but it was still pretty empty. They sat in separate seats so they could both look out the windows and settled in. No one was talking since they were all so spread out and it felt contagious. The two boys looked at each other and shrugged.

* * *

The dots were moving closer now and they could hear clomping feet trotting their way. Here they come, she thought, psyching herself up. Voices echoed down the halls every now and again, but nothing they could hear clearly enough for clues. Vivi adjusted his grip on his sword. "Maybe I should have stayed a mage?" "You'll be fine, Vivi. Now, here they are!"

"_Heey_, look! More playas!" the first person in the group spouted, a blonde guy with a heavy Brooklyn accent. He was obviously a barbarian as well, though the costume was a little small on him. A girl and a short freaky haired boy followed behind him, all dressed in similar Dungeons and Dragons inspired outfits. "Heheey! I'd know that hairstyle anywhere! _Yugi_! What's up guys? Are we in Kaiba's game world then?"

"How's she know my name? Do you guys recognise her?" the shortest member puzzled. "I don't know, Yug," the blonde one answered, "Must be one of them NPCs. Kaiba prob'ly programmed it in." "That actually makes sense. Who knew you had a brain, Joey?" the female replied teasingly. The taller guy just grrowled and shook his fist behind her back. "Well don't be rude, guys. Let's 'introduce' ourselves then!"

* * *

Only yards away now, the balvarine leapt into the air with a bloodthirsty cry. Jeris sobbed once and closed her eyes, bracing herself for sure destruction. She knew there was no way they were high enough in level to survive this. This was a stupid idea from the start. She should have known better! A clink of metal rang through the air and she squeezed tighter. "Hrraghh!!" a male voice shouted. There was a furious roar from the beast, met with several thick blows that sounded deep. A loud thud signaled the end of the tussle and she opened her eyes.

"Huh??? Ri-Riku?" The boy stood up and looked at her, shaking his head. "Not me." A purr of contentment and pride drew their gaze elsewhere. A tallish man in a dark, blood red hood and torn cape sheathed his weapons. They watched as he clenched and unclenched his hands and turned to nod at them. "JACK!" Jacquelyn exclaimed, as fangirly and full of admiration as when she'd first seen Riku.

* * *


End file.
